In the Presence of my Enemies

Psalm 23: 5 "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies."

Imagine Jesus preparing an elaborate table for you. He smooths fine linen on the top and pulls out the finest china from the top cupboard. Jesus prepares and sets all your favorite foods on the table along with everything else you could need for the day. Perhaps he brewed you a pot of coffee because he knew you didn't sleep well. Maybe he baked an extra portion of patience because he knew that someone was going to cut you off on your way to work or your child's favorite word was going to be "No!" for the day, and as it says in John 10:10, Jesus has come so you may have life and have it to the full.

Bottom line, while you were sleeping, Jesus prepared a table specifically tailored to your specific needs. And he did this in the presence of your enemies. It's interesting how the verse doesn't say, "You prepared me a table in the presence of your enemies," but it states that we have the enemy, and he is a thief who comes to steal, kill and destroy. Jesus has already defeated Satan at the cross, and through Jesus, we have as well, unless we invite the enemy to the table.

In 1 Peter 5:8, Peter gives a firm warning about this enemy; he say's, "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."

So, imagine waking up to this elaborate table, you yawn and stretch and slide in the chair across from Jesus. You wrap your hands around that always steaming cup of coffee, gaze at him, and thank him for the food and provision he has prepared for you. Then your focus shifts off Jesus, and Satan, like the snake in the garden, whispering to Eve, sits beside you, gobbles the food that Jesus prepared for you, and begins to fill your head with lies, and unless you shift your focus back to Jesus, you will believe the untruths.

I admit that there are days when I take my eyes off Jesus, I sit at the table, get my fill, and then try to figure it out on my own. Sometimes I walk past the table and don't spend time with Jesus at all, much to my detriment. The great thing about Jesus is that he is always waiting for us to sit with him, converse, and be filled by the bread and Living Water that only he offers.